CHAPTER TWENTY

Valley of the Dead. Night. A full moon shines down on the dark jungle. Baltus Hafez and Lock-Nah are on horses, leading a walking caravan of black turbans carrying torches.

Imhotep walks at the front, Dakota is near the back of Imhotep, looking a bit scared.

Everyone's eyes widened in horror as they came upon hundreds of rotted skeletons scattered throughout the jungle.

Some piled high, others lying off by themselves. Many appear to have been barbecued alive on fire spits. All are wearing the various tattered remains of once glorious uniforms and armor.

The full moon gives them a creepy glow.

"Go on!" said Imhotep as he stopped his track. Baltus Hafez and Lock-Nah lead them. Meela stops her track staring at the father and son bonding. "Go on I say!" hear the order, resuming her walk.

Now she walks aside with Baltus Hafez. "I got a chance to kill the boy!" she snarled. "Even his mother".

"How many time must I tell you Meela". Baltus Hafez stare on her. "Can't get enough?" Meela give Baltus Hafez death glare, then she ignore him.

Imhotep walks beside Dakota. He looked down at him. "I can sense your mother around here in this jungle".

"How can you be sure about that!?" ask Dakota.

"I know". Imhotep smiled. Imhotep stops Dakota from walking. The others keep walking in front. "Listen to me Dakota. I can feel that the lady will do something starting tonight. I promise you I will not leave you like this".

"Over there, Roman Legionnaires. And there, turn of the century French, Napoleon's troops".

Imhotep and Dakota hear the high priest Baltus Hafez shout at something. Imhotep and Dakota walk up to them.

Lock-Nah started, furious. "What in the name of Osiris did this?" Each and every person is terrified. All except Imhotep.

Ardeth and Jonathan are among themselves to the teeth. Evelyn suddenly looks around. "You hear that?"

"What?"

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing. It's dead silent. I've never heard a jungle be so quiet". Evelyn looks around the jungle. "I've been in the jungle before exactly sounds like this. This is not a good sign for the three of us".

The two men share a nervous look. Evelyn and Ardeth are locking and loading rifles. Jonathan sees something and brushes back the foliage. A dozen shrunken heads dangle from a pole. Jonathan's eyes widened.

"I say, look at these shrunken heads. (looks closer) I'd absolutely love to know how they do that".

In unison, Evelyn and Ardeth give him a look. Jonathan looks indignant. "Just curious". He hefts a long rifle.

Ardeth looks at him. "Are you any good with that?" he asked Jonathan.

"What? (outraged) just because you and me are the only men to help my sister doesn't mean I'm the loser. Three time Fox and Hound Grand Champion, I'll have you know!"

He fumbles with the rifle, almost drops it. "That was of course before I started drinking".

Evelyn rolled up her eyes. Ardeth glances over to Evelyn. She spoke. "I won't miss".

The caravan comes into a clearing. Far off in the distance, they all see the tip of the gold pyramid spiking the stars. Imhotep looked worried. Baltus Hafez, Lock-Nah, and Meela all smile. In the back, Dakota is suddenly looking very nervous.

"I'm in trouble now".

Lock-Nah whispers to Baltus Hafez, who nods and looks back at Imhotep.

"My Lord, now there is no need for the boy". he said in ancient egypt.

Imhotep gives him another worry in his face. Dakota's eyes widened. He tries to back away, but is pushed forward.

"Do not touch my son!"

Then suddenly, for no reason, Lock-Nah's horse starts bucking and whinnying wildly. The High Priest's horse does the same. The whole caravan is forced to come to a stop. The two men prodat their spooked horses and curse them in Arabic.

A gentle breeze begins to blow through the jungle and swirl around the caravan, accompanied by a creepy sound, like an eerie wind whistling through dry bones.

Imhotep knows what's coming. He yells a command to the men to prepare.

"Of what?"

One of the black turbaned men sees something lying against a tree, almost molded into it. He slowly approaches. It's a hideous pygmy corpse. Branches and vines have grown through its bones, which are bleached a ghostly white.

The man leans in for a closer look at the gruesome thing. Its crusty eyelids suddenly snap open. The Man screams. It has no eyes. It hisses through rotted teeth and stabs him in the chest with a small spear. The man screams louder and dies.

Ardeth and Jonathan hear the scream. And then the gentle breeze starts to whistle around them. The two men look at each other. Eyes on fire.

Jonathan hefts the two revolvers in his hands and nods his head. Ardeth lifts a machine gun in one hand and a sword in the other, and nods back. They both take off running through the jungle.

As the breeze turns into a strong wind, Lock-Nah and Baltus Hafez are thrown from their horses. All the black turbaned men aim their guns into the foliage, their fear filled eyes sweeping the jungle.

The creepy noise is getting louder and closer.

Evelyn hefts the rifle to her shoulder and adjusts the sight. Waiting.

Jonathan and Ardeth crash through the jungle, coming up on the caravan from the rear. Ardeth spots Dakota. Lock-Nah is also heading for Dakota. And he's only ten feet away. Dakota sees him coming. His eyes widen in terror. Lock-Nah withdraws his razor sharp scimitar, shing!

A black turbaned man suddenly jerks forward screaming. He spins around, his back is plastered with blow darts.

The surrounding foliage suddenly comes alive with movement, accompanied by a horrible hissing sound. Arrows and blow darts explode out of the bushes. The black turbaned men all panic and aimlessly open fire.

Dakota backs away from Lock-Nah, who is still coming at him, but starting to lose him in the exploding frenzy. Imhotep eyes never leaving Dakota.

Meela starts to pull her way, lunges back and grabs the Book of the Dead. She ran off into the jungle all by herself.

Jonathan and Ardeth sprint into the frenzy, cutting down black and red turbaned men with equal abandon, like two human scythes.

Jonathan goes empty, tosses his pistols. Several black turbaned men turn to shoot him, but are suddenly shot off their feet because Evelyn are firing round after round.

Perfect precision. Completely emotionless. We look down their gun sights; they're actually clearing a path for Jonathan and Ardeth, shooting men out of their way.

Lock-Nah steps up to Dakota and raises his scimitar.

Evelyn sees Imhotep show up between the men. Imhotep grabs a shotgun shouldered from Jonathan, whips it forward and charges for Dakota.

Jonathan was shocked to see Imhotep with them right now, Imhotep hadn't said anything, just a smile Imhotep gave to Jonathan.

Lock-Nah swings his scimitar down at Dakota with all his might. Dakota screams. The scimitar prangs off Imhotep's shotgun. Imhotep scoops Dakota up on the run. Doesn't even slow down.

Lock-Nah spins around and is about to throw his scimitar at Imhotep's back, when Ardeth leaps out of the fray and the two men immediately go at it. All the other men are screaming, running, shooting and dying.

Imhotep throws Dakota up over his shoulder. Dakota is now looking back. His eyes pop wide. "Dad! BEHIND YOU!"

Imhotep spins around, sees two hideous pygmy skeletons hot on their tail. He lifts his shotgun and fires. Both barrels. Point blank. Blows the pygmy skeletons to smithereens.

"Do not tell your mother I did that. I didn't know how to use it before, it seems I do now".

Ardeth and Lock-Nah are fiercely battling away. Scintar against scimitar. Ardeth is clearly more pissed off, more aggressive.

He spins around and slices Lock-Nah's chest, then uppercuts him across the stomach. Lock-Nah drops to his knees, mortally wounded. Ardeth Bey stares down at him.

"That was for Horus".

The mountain of flesh who grabbed Evelyn at her home runs up behind Ardeth, about to decapitate him with a scimitar.

Ardeth doesn't even see him. At the very last second the mountain of flesh is hit by multiple bullets.

Evelyn lowers her rifle, a complete emotional wreck. She head off down the rocks, as Ardeth grabs the reins of Lock-Nah's horse, swings himself up into the saddle and gallops off.

Lock-Nah falls face first into the mud. Dead as lead.

Baltus Hafez painful screams echo through the jungle as Dakota leaps into Evelyn's arms. Imhotep stood with a smile on her. Finally,

"Stay back!" she shouted to Imhotep.

"I risked my life for this and that is how you greet me my love". smirking. "Very emotional".

"You kidnapped my son!"

"He's my son too woman". Imhotep walked closer to her, Evelyn didn't back away from Imhotep, not even a bit.

Like she said earlier, she will face him alone. Imhotep's face is now for Evelyn.

"You saw the vision, believe me I wasn't trying to hurt you".

Evelyn grit her teeth. "You try to kill us with the massive water!"

"Amunet. She has been here with us since the beginning. Her name is Meela. I'll explain to you later but first I want to claim what is mine".

Imhotep leaned and kissed Evelyn on the lips. Jonathan and Dakota rolled their eyes about throwing up.

Their kiss turned passionate, Evelyn didn't shove Imhotep as she enjoyed the kiss too. Evelyn missed Imhotep.. sometime, for sake of Dakota. They are family now.

Ardeth gallops up, reaches into his pocket and flips something to Imhotep.

"Take this".

Imhotep checks it out. It's a beautiful gold brand with a precise masonic templar logo gorgeously welded onto it.

"I trust you with this Imhotep. You are the man who deserves to live, we misunderstood you once".

Ardeth eyes to Evelyn and Dakota. "Take care of them Imhotep". Ardeth rears his horse. "I must go and signal my men".

Imhotep starts to hand Ardeth the shotgun. "No. There is only one way to kill an Anubis warrior". He whips out his scimitar. "You know what to do Imhotep. You must take off its head. HEYA!" He gallops off. "Good luck, my friends".

"Friends?" Imhotep, Evelyn, Jonathan and Dakota suddenly hear the sound of hissing pygmies, coming fast.

"Time to go".

They all turn and haul-ass into the jungle. Almost dawn. A group of pygmy skeletons suddenly races up behind them. Imbotep spins around to face them.

The pygmy skeleton skids to a stop and stares at Imhotep, hissing, about to pounce. Evelyn is terrified. And then Imhotep unhinges his jaw, opens his mouth extra wide and roars.

The creepy little corpses bow their heads and back away. Imhotep grins, Jonathan looks at him.

"Don't do that again!"

Imhotep spots the tip of the gold pyramid, they're closer now, maybe only a mile away. Imhotep then grabs Evelyn's hand and they continue on.

And that's when another horde of the hideous pygmy skeletons sprint out and form a blockade in front of them. A long beat and then one of the pygmy skeletons races straight at Dakota, hissing horribly, spear in hand.

Dakota holds up his hands to

defend himself. The pygmy skeleton skids to a stop, hissing in fear and he backs away.

Dakota sees that it was the bracelet on his wrist that did it. He holds up his wrist to show all pygmies. They all hiss in fear, which sounds really creepy and horrible, then they back away and vanish into the jungle.

Imhotep, Evelyn and Jonathan are shocked and relieved. Imhotep looks up at the sky, remembering something.

"Dakota let's GO!" Imhotep grabs Dakota's hand. "There's no time! the bracelet!"

Immediately realize the implications. They quickly look off towards the surrounding mountains. The sun is just about to crest the east face

"Oh my God!"

And they're off! Blasting through the jungle as fast as they can. Imhotep looks up. The sun crests the mountains.

The jungle canopy as the sunlight starts to move across it like the tide, heading straight for the gold pyramid, getting closer and closer, about to light it up.

Imhotep and Dakota run faster and faster. Dakota starts to collapse in pain. Imhotep scoops him up and runs faster,

He races across a clearing and dives through one of the many arched entryways just as the sun strikes the huge gold pyramid, causing a blinding flash of light.

Temple entrance. Day. Imhotep and Dakota lie on the floor, exhausted and panting.

"I'd never know being a dad was so difficult and challenging". Imhotep breathed. "I take my words back, I want to die".

Both Imhotep and Dakota laughed so hard. Imhotep wraps his arm around Dakota and drags him up close. Dakota hugs him back.

The bracelet pops off. Dakota grabs it and angrily flings it across the entranceway.

Evelyn and Jonathan stagger out of the jungle and into the clearing. Evelyn smiles as she sees Imhotep and Dakota safe inside the pyramid.

Jonathan just stares up in wonder at the huge gold monolith. "I'm going to get that!"

"Don't you dare Jonathan!"